Bottle closure



y 3, 1966 P. H. BABIIOL 3,249,247

BOTTLE CLOSURE Filed Oct. 5, 1964 1| 3 9 2 9 2 w 4 J- 3 3 l3 2 4 2 B 2 a INVENTOR. PIERRE BABIOL mfp/mm ATTO NEYS United States Patent 3,249,247 BOTTLE CLOSURE Pierre Henri Babiol, Buxy, France, assignor to Le Bouchage Mecanique, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France Filed Oct. 5, 1964, Ser. No. 401,333 1 Claim. (Cl. 215-42) This invention is an improvement in sealing closures which must be broken to be opened. Such closures are known and have generally been composed of caps cooperating with bottle necks in such manner that the cap must be broken to be removed. Some of such caps have an upper, screw threaded part which fits screw threads on the bottle neck, and means to lock the cap on the bottle when it reaches sealing position. One type of such locking means has included interfitting teeth on the cap and bottle, or even a camlike projection terminating in a square face. The cam ramp allows the teeth to pass the square face and the square face prevents return, in theory, but in fact the application of the cap stretches the material, and compresses the teeth at every passage over the ramps, resulting in numerous imperfect seals and some cap breakage.

It is an object of the invention to make a more perfect, inviolable closure, and to make a novel cap cooperation with cam lock means on the opening of a vessel.

The objects of the invention are accomplished, generally speaking, by a closure for a vessel comprising a screw threaded opening in the vessel subtended by cam lock means and an abutment ring, a cap for the opening having a screw threaded portion adapted to cooperate with the screw threads of the opening and an abutment portion adapted to be seated against the abutment ring, the abutment portion having internal pawls adapted to engage the cam lock means.

The above and further objects and novel features of the invention will more fully appear from the following description when the same is read in connection with the accompanying drawing. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawing is for the purpose of illustration only, and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views,

FIG. 1 is a vertical elevational view partly sectioned to the axis of a closure of preferred type;

FIG. 2 is a similar view as the seal is broken in opening the closure;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section on line IIIIII of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a detail on line X--X' of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a diagram for the development of a cam lock.

The invention involves cooperation between the construction of the bottle neck and the construction of the cap. The bottle B has a neck 3, the upper part of which has a screw thread 6 and is subtended by a cam lock 13 and an abutment ring 4. The lock ring is derived as in FIG. 5, which shows the superimposition of two circles 0 and 0 on spaced centers 0 and 0'. A diameter xx is drawn through the centers and the solid line 13a, 13b, indicates the shape imparted to the lock ring, the parts of the line 13a and 13b being the cams and the square faces 14a, 14b constituting the locking abut ments. FIG. 3 shows the cam lock means 13 as molded into a bottle neck and FIG. 1 shows it in its relation to the screw threaded part 8 of the neck of the bottle and the abutment ring 4. The ring 4 has the same diameter as the abutment ring 2 of the cap, and is provided with a flat upper face against which the ring of the cap rests in sealing position.

The cap 1 is novel in itself and in the combination with 3,249,247 Patented May 3, 1966 the bottle neck. It has an upper part 7 which is internally screw threaded as at 5 to fit the screw threads 6, and has a sealing ring 7 which engages the inside of the neck in tight sealing position, The lower edge of this portion of the cap is provided with an integral ring 11 of larger diameter which is connected on its lower face, at spaced points 11' to the upper faces 20 of the tips of flexible pawls 9 which are integral with the abutment and locking ring 2 of the'cap and project inward from that ring at an angle of about 35 to the tangent f, f at that point.

In normal construction two cams and four pawls are satisfactory, the cams being diametrically placed and the pawls set at from each other.

The resistance of the top portion of the cap to separation from the ring will be a function of the size of the areas 11' which constitute the breakable joint between them.

In operation the bottle is filled, the flexible cap is screwed down into position until the ring 2 seats upon the ring 4 and pawls 9 are locked behind the square ends of the cams 13. The pawls prevent the unscrewing of the cap without breaking the connections 11. The cap and especially the pawls are flexible and compressible so that, in applying the cap the pawls are compressed as they ride over the cams and have practically no distorting effect on the ring 2. The thickness of the ring 2 is made greater than the thickness of the pawls to assist this func tion. In prior constructions there was a material tendency to enlarge the diameter of the locking ring in applying the cap, but in this case there is none because, as the flattened pawls pass over the cams the rings tend to elongate out of the circular, which is permitted by the gaps 21 which allow the sides to flatten. Thus, when the ring 2 is finally seated on the abutment 4 they are of the same diameter and the inside diameter of ring 2 snugly fits the great diameter of the cams.

The caps may be made by injection moulding from plastics which will give a sharp break at the points of connection 11 and which yet have sufficient strength as pawls to withstand the same turning force that breaks the points of connection. Prior art caps that broke under stress are known and the same materials may be used. For present use high density polypropylene and polyethylene are quite satisfactory.

The invention has substantial advantages: The cap is readily formed by injection molding, it has a snug and attractive appearance, it can be removed only by breaking it, the upper part when broken off forms a sealing cap of screw type, the pawl ring is not enlarged as the cap is initially applied, assuring a perfect fit, and the existence or not of a previous opening is apparent as soon as the attempt is made to remove the cap. The combination between the cam ring, the pawl ring, and the abutment ring forms a perfect base seal.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments.

What is claimed is:

A closure for a vessel having an externally screw threaded neck portion open at the top and subtended by cam lock means and an abutment ring, said cam lock means having flat abutment surfaces extending radially from the neck portion and vertically thereof, said closure comprising a cap for the opening having an internally screw threaded portion adapted to cooperate with the screw threads on the neck portion and subtended by a locking ring adapted to be seated against the abutment ring when the cap is threaded on said neck portion, said locking ring being flexible and having an inside diameter large enough to fit around the greatest external width of the cam lock means, and a plurality of spaced apart flexible pawls each connected at one vertical edge to the inside diameter of the locking ring and projecting inwardly therefrom at an angle, the pawls being more flexible than the locking ring and positioned to be flexed relative to the locking ring by the cam lock means when the locking ring is rotated in one direction and to engage the abutment surfaces of the cam lock means and pre vent rotation of the locking ring in the opposite direction, the inside diameter of the locking ring being larger than the outside diameter of the bottom edge of the threaded portion of the cap, and the locking ring being attached to the cap only through breakable connections between References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1937 Beider et a1. 21547 6/1939 Schauer 215-42 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner.

the inward top edge of each pawl and the adjacent bottom 15 PESHOCK, Assistant Examiner- 

